Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who've made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode gives you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts to stay tuned.
Each year, the month of April serves as a reminder to live with intention and be conscious of sustainable lifestyle choices to make the Earth a better place. At the forefront of sustainability in the fashion industry is Saskia van Gendt, an environmental scientist and head of sustainability at Rothy's. As the head of sustainability, van Gendt works to develop strategies that minimize the environmental impact of the company's supply chain through innovations in materials, production, fulfillment, and beyond. Rothy's, a direct-to-consumer fashion brand that transforms environmentally friendly materials into machine-washable shoes and bags for everyday wear, is a company dedicated to the circular model of product life.
Van Gendt is at the helm of the company's ethos and is leading the brand toward a more impactful future. In fact, in March of 2021, she led an initiative committed to achieving circular production by 2023, pioneering a closed-loop footwear system, and by the end of 2021 alone, the company had already recycled over 20,000 pairs of shoes. The company's forward-thinking production in a rather wasteful industry has garnered the attention of celebrities such as Meghan Markle and Emma Roberts.
Van Gendt is undoubtedly making real, intentional change, bringing a world of firsts to the fashion industry. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that sustainability has been woven throughout her career history. Before joining the team at Rothy's, van Gendt worked as the senior director of sustainability at Method, a brand renowned for its sustainable, clean, and effective cleaning products, which has become a household name today. And before she began on the brand side of things, she actually worked in government at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She worked on green building, ocean plastics, and zero waste for seven years before deciding to make a major career pivot and apply her scientific expertise to consumer-facing products.
Listen to the latest episode of Second Life to hear how van Gendt was able to transition her knowledge and skill set into a consumer-facing role to foster real growth and change and encourage consumers to live a more conscious, sustainable lifestyle. Keep scrolling to shop some of the best sellers at Rothy's.
